Alexandria residents might notice a slight dip in their water bill soon thanks to a recent fight in the State Corporation Commission (SCC).
In a release, the City of Alexandria said city attorneys successfully objected to water overcharges by the Virginia American Water Company (VAWC) from 2019-2021.
The fight over the surcharges has been part of a back-and-forth between Alexandria and the VAWC over water rate increases.
According to the release:
The SCC’s ruling in favor of the City means residents will receive refunds of surcharges that appeared on bills between 2019 and 2021. Additionally, the ruling reduces the water rate increase that took effect in May 2022. The reduction is retroactive to May 2022, so most residents will see a partial refund of water bills paid over the past year, as well as lower water rates going forward. The refunds will be made as credits on residents’ water bills, which should be applied to residents’ accounts no later than July 24th.
“Our residents expect reliable and safe drinking water, at a reasonable rate,” Mayor Justin Wilson said in the release. “The City will continue to work with private utilities, public regulators and policymakers to protect Alexandria’s ratepayers.”